Be Proud
by WitandAmbition
Summary: After a nightmare, Harry finds comfort with his daughters and wife. AU of the Epilogue.


**Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I make no claims to ownership.**

Harry woke up gasping and with his body drenched in sweat. Blindly, he reached for his glasses, trying to stretch without moving the rest of his body so he wouldn't wake Ginny. It had been a long time since he last had a nightmare, and he didn't want to worry her.

Beside him Ginny stirred. His effort had failed.

"Harry?" she mumbled. "Some'ing wrong?"

"No, go back to sleep, Gin," he said gently.

Something in his tone must have warned her, for her eyes cracked open and she rolled over to stare at him blearily in the faded light of morning.

"Nightmare?" Ginny guessed.

He swallowed. "Yeah. I named my son after Snape, can you believe it?"

She smiled sleepily. "I've had something like that before, but it was Albus instead."

They shared an uncomfortable chuckle.

A few years after the war, with the help of numerous counseling sessions, Harry finally realized that Dumbledore was not as good as he thought. However, Harry didn't even consider Snape. For a brief time he felt pity for the man, but Ginny, along with their family and friends, quickly set him right on that. It had been the women who had the most rational explanations: Audrey, a Muggleborn, was quick to label Snape as a Nazi; Ginny, with her own experience in unrequited love, pointed out the difference between it and obsession; and Hermione gathered a list of every instance of bullying that Snape committed.

Suddenly Ginny inhaled. "Mm. I think the kids are cooking. Best check on them before they burn the house down."

"They're not as bad as you," Harry teased even as he stood from the bed.

"Put on pants or you'll scar the kids," she retorted.

Smiling, Harry grabbed an old pair of jeans and pulled them on over his boxers. Then, not bothering to put on a shirt, he went downstairs and entered the kitchen. Two girls were dancing around singing to Taylor Swift, using spatulas as mics and tossing their hair dramatically. His laugh drew their attention to him, and they both looked mortified at his bare chest.

"Dad!" Ruby shrieked, covering her eyes.

"Hello, girls," he greeted them, smirking. "Is your brother still asleep?"

"He went to visit his girlfriend," Lily answered.

"Ah." Harry nodded. Samantha was one of the few things that could draw James out of his bed early in the morning. "I guess we won't be seeing him for the rest of the day, then."

"Nope," Ruby said, still facing away from him.

Strong, soft arms wrapped around Harry from behind him. "Seeing who?" Ginny asked, peering around Harry.

After Harry explained the situation to her, she nodded.

"That's fine. I get James' slice, then."

It was only then that Harry noticed what his daughters were making.

"Cake for breakfast?" he asked, amused.

Lily pointed a spatula at him. "It's carrot cake, so it's nutritious."

He held his hands up defensively. "I'm not complaining."

She continued to watch him for a moment, green eyes narrowed, before she spun around, her long brown hair nearly hitting Ruby in the face. Lily was the only one to inherit Harry's eyes, but with bad vision being on both sides of the family, all three of the children had to wear glasses.

Ginny went to the table and was about to sit down when there was a sudden yowl. She squatted and looked underneath.

"Ruby Minerva," Ginny said sternly. "What's this?"

Harry glanced over and saw Ginny holding up a scraggly cat. It mewled in protest, trying to scratch at her, but with their youngest daughter taking in three stray cats already, Ginny was well accustomed to dealing with feisty animals.

"Um…" Ruby shifted her eyes away from them, hiding behind her red hair.

"It's what we get for naming her after Hagrid and McGonagall," Harry muttered to his wife.

Ginny sighed and set the cat back on the ground. "Maybe so," she agreed. "It's still better than Albus Severus, though."

Harry chuckled and pulled her into his side. "I'd take James Sirius, Lily Luna, and Ruby Minerva any day."

She hummed. "Good, because it seems we're stuck with them."

"Can you two stop already?" Lily asked. "You're married. You don't need to flirt anymore."

"Yeah, it's gross," Ruby added.

In retaliation, Harry pressed a passionate kiss to Ginny's lips, which she seemed to enjoy and made both of their daughters groan in despair. He could feel Ginny smirk as her hand rose to play with Harry's hair. She often complained about James inheriting the black mop, but she also made it no secret that she loved it.

After a moment, Harry drew back.

"So much for not scarring the kids," he quipped.

* * *

 **AN:** Go on. Deny that Ruby Minerva is a better name than Albus Severus.

 **AN2:** Someone said this was worse than the epilogue. Well, that's your opinion, and you're welcome to it. However, I'd like to know the reasoning. If it's just because I use the established pairings, then don't bother, though.


End file.
